JACKSON, Wyo. — The Jackson Town Council recently agreed to allow Public Works to submit a grant application to Wyoming Business Council (WBC) to help fund the Summit Connecter Chair Placemaking Project.
The project aims to place up to thirty original Snow King Summit Lift chairs along Cache Street.
According to the staff report presented to the Council, “This project is a public/private partnership that will enhance downtown Jackson, the Cache Street corridor and provide for the preservation of Snow King Mountain Resort heritage.”
“This project, of which the Town of Jackson is the applicant, would help the WBC achieve its goals by specifically activating new economic sectors while adding value to the Town’s core industries (tourism),” stated the report.
While the grant is free to apply for, there is a required 20% match which must have 10% received in cash.
During the meeting, Anna Olson, Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce president/CEO spoke during the public comment section and explained that the maximum funding that the town can apply for is $50,000 through the grant.
“We are hugely overmatching the amount we are asking for,” Olson said. Adding, “The match piece is with the value of the chairs. With the application approved, then we will more robustly reach out to the businesses.”
In May, Snow King assigned the value of each chair at $1,500 after being unable to sell the entire lift. If thirty chairs are used for the project, the donation would be considered to value $45,000.
According to a report from Jackson Hole News & Guide, The original, single chair Summit lift was built back in 1945, the Jackson Hole Winter Sports Association formed and raised some $40,000 for a chairlift from locals. By the late 1950s, the single chair was replaced with a double. In 1981 the entire lift was replaced with the Summit Lift.
The project is expected to total $169, 475.
